As reported by David Lat on Above the Law Blog, Corporate Counsel magazine recently released the annual GC Compensation Survey listing America’s highest paid general counsel. The survey showed steady gains and recovery for top legal officers, as well as the first time a woman was named the highest paid general counsel. Here's what GC Magazine said about the top earner:

Denise Keane, the top legal officer since 2007 at tobacco giant Altria Group, Inc., took home $6.5 million in total cash compensation. In fact, women in general are continuing to make steady inroads in the pantheon of top earners. “We are moving in the right direction, albeit slowly,” says Dorian Denburg, president of the National Association of Women Lawyers and a general attorney with AT&T Inc. “What we need are more sponsors and champions so that as opportunities open, women can fill these seats.”